Over 400 attendees – representing organisations from at least 11 countries – converged in Singapore to participate in the “Future Cities: Science, Design, and Policy for Urban Transitions” Symposium & Exhibition Singapore 2025. Organised by the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) Global, in partnership with the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) as a key event of Singapore Urban Science Week 2025, the Symposium took place on 4 September at the National Design Centre (NDC) and 5 September at the CREATE Campus in University Town.

The Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) Global is an international research collaboration between ETH Zurich and the Singapore universities NUS, NTU, and SUTD, supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF). At FCL Global, over 150 researchers across 13 modules bring together diverse expertise in Science, Design, Engineering, and Governance to develop transdisciplinary approaches tackling the global challenges of rapid urbanisation. Future Cities demonstrated how the FCL Global programme’s settlement systems approach enables the development of tools, scenarios, and strategies able to transcend the limitations of traditional disciplines.

Highlights from Day 1 of the Future Cities Symposium 2025 at the National Design Centre.

The symposium opened on 4 September with keynote speeches and panel discussions by international experts at the National Design Centre Auditorium. Keynote speakers included Prof. Dr. Susan Parnell, Prof. Dr. Stephen Goldsmith, Mr. Masanori Kobayashi, Dr. Inhee Kim, Em. Prof. Ir. Dirk Dijmons, and Mr. Leonard Ng. Their diverse perspectives set the stage for rich debate and exchange. These speakers participated in panels on the themes of “Policy Innovation for Urban Transitions: Regulatory Frameworks and Incentives for Sustainable Development,” moderated by FCL Global Programme Director (Singapore) Prof. Dr. Thomas Schroepfer, and “Bridging the Divide: Fostering Collaboration between Science, Design, Policy and Community,” moderated by FCL Global Executive Director Prof. Sacha Menz. This portion of the symposium was brought to a conclusion through a presentation from Closing Keynote speaker Dr. Vo Trong Nghia, who traced the history of his internationally renowned practice VTN Architects in parallel with the powerful story of his mental health and meditation journey.

Highlights from Day 2 of the Future Cities Symposium 2025 at CREATE Campus.

On 5 September, guests were invited to the CREATE Campus, home to FCL Global’s Singapore hub, for in-depth research presentations from researchers and investigators representing FCL Global’s 13 modules, or research teams. FCL Global researchers demonstrated that transdisciplinary urban science research not only deepens our understanding of complex urban systems but also leads to actionable outcomes that are already informing change on the ground. Spanning scales from materials to megacities, and guided by long-term thinking, the programme showcases how knowledge is created in place, evolves over time, and transforms cities through science and by design.

The two day event brought together a truly international and interdisciplinary group of scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and industry leaders. This was a collective effort that reflected the strength of our community and its commitment to advancing knowledge for more liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities.

The two day event brought together a truly international and interdisciplinary group of scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and industry leaders. This was a collective effort that reflected the strength of our community and its commitment to advancing knowledge for more liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Schroepfer, Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and Director, Future Cities Laboratory Global Singapore Hub

The symposium was accompanied by an exhibition, which opened on 4 September at the NDC and subsequently moved to CREATE from 6 September. The exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of the insights and impact of FCL Global modules, demonstrating how our 13 research modules – organised into four clusters – influence design and policy across scales, in Singapore, Zurich, and our research sites worldwide.

The Future Cities Exhibition 2025 at the National Design Centre.

The exhibition is now located at the CREATE Campus Lobby, and remained open for public viewing until 4 October 2025.